Gingerbread Pancakes

Fluffy, tender pancakes that boast the flavors of gingerbread are perfect for the holidays or make an everyday breakfast special!

If you ever find yourself in Austin, Texas, Kerby Lane Cafe should be on your list as a breakfast or brunch destination. And if you ever make it to Kerby Lane, expect to wait for a table and be prepared for a difficult time deciding what to order amongst so many enticing choices. But whatever you do, you must try their gingerbread pancakes, even if that requires that you order two breakfasts.

Not that I’ve ever done that or anything (*cough*).

Alas, if you never make it to Kerby Lane, today I’m sharing with you the next best thing. This dish is adapted from a recipe I found floating around the web across multiple locations, from online recipe communities to message boards, and I even discovered a hard copy of it in an old cookbook put together by the parents where I used to teach elementary school. In each place that I encountered this recipe, it was identical, and in each place, it claimed to be the original Kerby Lane recipe for gingerbread pancakes. So who am I to argue?

I did make a few adjustments to the recipe that just made sense in my mind. I replaced a 1/2 cup water with additional buttermilk, I cut back on the ground cloves (because I’ve always thought that it’s reeeally easy to overdo them), I added a tad more brown sugar and a bit of salt, and I decreased the leavening agents because, at the called-for amounts, I was afraid of being able to taste the baking powder.

And the results? Wow…pretty darn tasty. If you love gingerbread, you will go crazy over these. But is this recipe Kerby Lane authentic? I honestly don’t know. If memory serves me correctly, however, these pancakes are a pretty good copycat of the real deal.

Kerby Lane actually sells their gingerbread pancake mix at grocery stores across Texas (and beyond?). I tried it a few years back and it was really good. However, in my opinion, making these pancakes from scratch, which allows you to control the ingredients at a fraction of the cost, is even better.

These pancakes are scrumptious year round, but they seem particularly appropriate as we near the holiday season. Whether you’re expecting overnight guests for Thanksgiving or you’re trying to put together a magical breakfast for Christmas morning featuring the flavors of the season, these fluffy, perfectly-spiced gingerbread pancakes are for you!

Not only will your house smell heavenly, but your tummy will be happy. I pinky swear it. 😉

Fluffy, tender pancakes that boast the flavors of gingerbread are
perfect for the holidays or make an everyday breakfast special.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup coffee, cooled

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk, coffee, butter, eggs, and brown sugar until well incorporated. Gradually add wet mixture to flour mixture and mix until just blended. Do not overmix! Batter should have some lumps.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt a pat of butter, tilting pan to coat it evenly. Use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop batter onto skillet, spacing pancakes about 2 inches apart. Cook for a couple of minutes, or until bubbles start to appear on the surface of the pancake and the edges look dry. Flip pancake over and cook until underside is golden brown, about another minute.

Serve hot with maple syrup. You may also keep pancakes warm by placing them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and putting it in a 180°F oven.

Notes

Every stove is different, so the temperature at which you'll need to cook your pancakes may take some trial and error. If you sprinkle water on your skillet and it bounces around and sizzles, you're ready to cook. Start at medium heat and adjust up or down based on how quickly the first batch browns.

This pancake batter is supposed to be thick, so I usually spread it out just a bit with the back of my measuring cup so that it still results in thick, fluffy pancakes. However, if you prefer a thinner batter, just add a little more buttermilk.

https://fivehearthome.com ~ All recipes and images on Five Heart Home are copyright protected. Please do not use without my permission. If you would like to feature this recipe, please rewrite the directions in your own words and give proper attribution by linking back to this blog.

Thanks, Megan! I love trying different flavors of pancakes. I’ve made pumpkin waffles but not pumpkin pancakes. Hmmm…going to have to add those to my list! 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by…hope you have a great week!

These look really good…Can you imagine, I’ve only been to Austin ONCE in my life?? And lived in Texas from the time I was born, til 7-28-07. It was only a 3 hr drive too!
Oh well, Austin’s a pretty town; would love to go back there sometime. Will keep this Cafe in mind, for sure. Oh wait….could the avoidance of Austin be because it’s the home of the ‘Horns??? Don’t have to worry about them anymore, anyway…but I did live in Bryan/College Station area for 14 years!
Have a great day!

I totally get it, Deb…it’s amazing how many local places I’ve never been that are on every tourist’s to-do list! Well, if you ever make it back to Austin, you must hit Kerby Lane. And in the meantime, these pancakes should tide you over… 😉

Samantha, these look out of this world delicious! I love gingerbread but never thought to make it into pancakes. Totally brilliant! I love a good brunch and Kerby sounds wonderful 🙂 Makes me want to go back to Austin (and maybe grab a few tacos while I’m at it)!

Thanks so much, Amy! If you love gingerbread, these will be right up your alley! Definitely hit Kerby Lane if you ever find yourself back in Austin, but these pancakes should do a good job holding you over until then… 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!

Thanks so much for hosting, Audra, and for stopping by to comment! I totally agree…these pancakes are perfect for the holidays. But I must confess that I eat them all year long! 😉 Hope you’re having a great week!

Hi Samantha! These look delicious! Can’t wait to make them over the holidays. Just found your blog over at the Live, Laugh, Rowe link party and I’ll definitely be following. Sounds like we have a lot in common and I can’t wait to read more. 🙂

Thanks, Blair! I love these pancakes around the holidays…or anytime of year, for that matter. 😉 And I had a chance to check out your site and we do have a lot in common…I’m looking forward to looking around some more later when I have a bit more time!

Thanks so much, Maria! Gingerbread is one of my favorite flavors as well…I make myself a gingerbread latte almost every morning this time of year, and it sure does go well with these gingerbread pancakes… 😉 Hope you enjoy these!

Hi Samantha! I am SO, so behind this week, though want to a) thank you so much for joining us at Best of the Weekend, b) I loved ALL the things you shared and pinned! and 3) I’m featuring these wonderful gingerbread pancakes tomorrow night! Whew! I think I covered everything! 🙂 Hope you are having a great week and enjoy your Friday!

Thank you so much, Cindy! Believe me…I totally understand busy! You are very sweet to stop by with the kind words and the good news despite a crazy week. Thanks again and see you tomorrow for the link party! 🙂

Wish I had found your blog earlier–we were in Austin last week & would have loved going to Kirby Lane! Your pancakes look Devine! I think I’ll give them a try during Christmas while we are home visiting. The apple dish beside the pancakes also looks yummy. Would you mind sharing the recipe for them, too? Another recipe site to follow. Appreciate your hard work in making the rest of us look like experts in the kitchen!! 😉

Thanks so much for the sweet comment, LeAnn! You will definitely have to hit Kerby Lane next time, but these pancakes should tide you over in the meantime. 🙂 For the apples, I just sauteed some thinly sliced apples in butter until golden and then hit them with a bunch of cinnamon and sugar. Not much of a recipe, but always popular around here! 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by and I’m excited to hear that you’re planning on visiting again. Have a great week!

Hi G! You can definitely eliminate the coffee. I would just substitute an extra 1/2 cup buttermilk (or slightly more, since buttermilk is thicker than coffee) in its place. Thanks for the great question…hope you enjoy these!

What a delicious sounding recipe! I’m not sure I’ll ever make it to Austin, Texas, but I really hope to- and whenever I do, I’ll definitely check out Kerby Lance. But in the meantime, I’m going to try your recipe- sharing with our Pinterest followers as well.
Thanks for linking up at Saturday Dishes. We hope you’ll continue to join us as we take over the party!